Commentaire sur Les Nombres 20:19

רק אין דבר lit., ONLY NO THING — i.e., nothing will do you any harm.

AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SAID UNTO HIM: ‘WE WILL GO UP BY THE HIGHWAY.’ At first they had said²⁰²As stated in Verse 17: Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy land; we will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we drink of the water of the wells; we will go along the king’s highway … that they would come into the cities, but would take care not to enter fields and vineyards as armies [consisting of] many people are wont to do, in order to plunder the threshing-floors and to invade the vineyards. Instead, they [promised] to go along the king’s highway,²⁰²As stated in Verse 17: Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy land; we will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we drink of the water of the wells; we will go along the king’s highway … which is a public thoroughfare,²⁰³See “The Land of Israel in Biblical Times” by Yohanan Aharoni, pp. 42-45, where the term derech hamelech (the king’s highway) is explained as a definite official highway which followed the eastern bank of the Jordan. Ramban’s interpretation is thus unlike Ibn Ezra’s who explains it to mean the way which the king of Edom will specify for their passage. not a private road. Furthermore they said [at first] that they would not drink any of the water which they [the Edomites] have in their wells for their own needs. Afterwards the Israelites sent them a message [saying] that they would not [even] approach the cities at all, but they would go by the highway which leads up to the land of Canaan, which is a paved road traversed by all people, and if they or their animals drink [even] of the waters of the rivers on the way, whilst passing through the rivers, they would pay them for the benefit they derived from them. Therefore Moses said [here in Verse 19] there is no hurt, meaning that in [passing through their land] there would be no damage of any sort. Other scholars²⁰⁴This explanation is found in Ibn Ezra. explain [that they meant to say] we shall not drink of the water of the wells²⁰²As stated in Verse 17: Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy land; we will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we drink of the water of the wells; we will go along the king’s highway … unless we pay for it. But this is not correct, for [if so] why would he [Moses] propose to them again that which he [the king of Edom] had already refused at the beginning? [as explained in Verses 17-18]. The Midrashic interpretation²⁰⁵Tanchuma, Chukath 12. According to this explanation Moses was offering to buy from the Edomites their water, although the Israelites could have drunk freely from Miriam’s Well. is: “We shall not drink of the waters of [our own] well,²⁰⁶See above, Note 154. but instead we will buy from you,” as Rashi wrote.
Israel said to Edom, until we have passed thy border²⁰⁷Verse 17. and they did not say to him [“and we will reach] the Land which the Eternal our G-d giveth us” [as they told Sihon king of Heshbon],²⁰⁸Deuteronomy 2:29. in order that Edom should not be jealous of them [taking possession] of the Land, and [should not] claim that it would be theirs [the Edomites’], had not [Jacob] taken [Esau’s] birthright and blessing from him with guile.²⁰⁹Genesis 27:35. But to Sihon they did mention, until I shall pass over the Jordan into the Land which the Eternal our G-d giveth us,²⁰⁸Deuteronomy 2:29. as Moses stated in the Book of Deuteronomy.

במסלה נעלה, Moses argued that if they were to cross through towns and come into contact with the inhabitants there might be concern about possible friction, but it was their intention to cross the land in areas that were totally uninhabited so that there could not be a question of possible friction and war.